NASA Satellite Analysis Indicates Over 58,000 Buildings Damaged in Venezuela Quakes
A preliminary satellite data assessment published by NASA reveals that more than 58,000 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed after twin earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 hit Venezuela. The historic disaster has left approximately 1,700 people dead and thousands more missing across the South American nation.
Initial satellite radar data analysis published by the US space agency NASA indicates that dual historic earthquakes striking Venezuela last week have damaged or destroyed an estimated 58,870 structures across the disaster zones. The twin tremors, recording powerful magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, mark the most severe seismic activity to impact the South American country in over a century, leaving roughly 1,700 fatalities and thousands unaccounted for. Utilizing high-resolution radar imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite on the day following the disaster, Oregon State University researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek identified abrupt surface modifications indicative of widespread wreckage. While National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez formally confirmed on-the-ground damage to 855 buildings, including 189 total collapses, experts emphasize that the massive satellite-derived figures serve as a rapid, unverified indicator to help direct active emergency response and structural impact mapping efforts.